


so this is what it feels like (to be a hyung)

by nikified



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Aged Down Characters, Alternate Universe - Daycare, Fluff, Gen, Platonic Relationships, babie taking care of another babie, but jungwon loves niki more, everyone loves jungwon, i mean why shouldn't they, toddler!jungwon and niki, wonki bffs wbk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27560023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikified/pseuds/nikified
Summary: In which Jungwon, everyone's favorite toddler, adopts the new kid as his dongsaeng at the daycare center.
Relationships: Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki & Yang Jungwon, Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki/Yang Jungwon
Comments: 22
Kudos: 149





	so this is what it feels like (to be a hyung)

**Author's Note:**

> Wonki have the purest friendship so I couldn't help but imagine what it'd be like if they met each other as little babies.

-

Today is a very important day for Jungwon. 

No, scratch that. Today is _the most important day of all days_ for Jungwon. 

Why, you may ask? Simply, because in all of Jungwon's toddler experience, this was the day that he could finally prove to Heeseung hyung and Jay hyung that he was a strong and independent big boy.

"Jungwonie, where's your bag? Did you leave it in the car?"

"Stay here, Won-ah. I'll go get it for you."

Jungwon pouts as he watches Heeseung quickly leave just to get his stuff. He crosses his arms petulantly with a sigh. Jay, who's busy fixing his shoelaces, immediately notices his reaction. "What's the matter?"

Jungwon sighs again and shakes his head. His brothers just wouldn't get it. Back at the daycare, Jungwon was seen by the other toddlers as the cutest maknae that needed to be taken care of. At home, he was also seen by his big brothers as someone who always had to be helped. While at first, it thoroughly pleased him to have people who adored him, it was time that he was seen as someone others could rely on.

He's five years old! It's high time they started treating him differently. 

"Ya, Jungwonie, are you okay?" The little boy snaps out of his thoughts to see both Heeseung and Jay kneeling down to look at him with concern. _Again_ , he was being babied, which makes him pout even more.

"Is it because we won't be around at your daycare this time? I promise we won't be long." Heeseung says. "Hyungs just have to go somewhere but we'll be back soon."

Jay frowns as he looks at Heeseung. "I don't think this is a good idea, hyung. Why don't we just bring him along with us?"

"Jay, the audition venue will be packed. If we take Jungwon with us, it won't be good for him. Besides, I already asked and someone told me that toddlers weren't allowed." 

"What? Why aren't toddlers allowed at an audition? It's not like our Jungwonie will make a fuss. He's the sweetest and nicest of them all." Jay pinches Jungwon's cheek with a smile, while Jungwon maintains his pout. _He will not back down._

Heeseung only looks at him and chuckles. "Hyung, not all kids are like Jungwon. Some of them run around too much or scream too loudly. It will distract the judges, you know?"

"Alright, alright." Jay sighs. "Hyungs are sorry, Jungwonie. Just this time, we have to leave you alone because hyungs need to perform. But don't worry! We'll come to you as soon as possible."

Jungwon decides at that moment to assure them that he'll be totally fine. With his head up, he replies. "I know." 

"You know??" Both of them asks.

"Yes, I know. I will be okay because I'm old enough now!" He says assertively. While other kids might feel scared to go to daycare alone, Jungwon was empowered. Not only could he show his hyungs that he was fine without them, but he could also allow his brothers to do what they wanted to do without worrying about him. He's seen way too often how his brothers sacrifice their personal time just to be with him, and it's time they let him learn how to stand up for himself. 

He doesn't understand why, but he watches as his hyungs' faces slowly morph into worried looks.

"Ya, I'm okay!" Jungwon huffs and pouts again. Do they really not trust him enough to leave him alone at daycare? 

It takes a while for them to respond, but eventually, it's Jay who speaks. He gently pats Jungwon's head. "Okay, we understand. Just remember, if you feel lonely, you can go to the babysitter to call us."

Jungwon nods.

"And if you're hungry, I packed all your favorite food."

Jungwon nods again.

"And if _anyone_ bullies you, you know I'll—"

"I think Jungwon gets the picture already, Jay." Heeseung cuts in. He smiles at the little boy, giving him a pat on the back. "We'll be leaving now, Jungwon-ah. Be a good boy, alright?"

After a few more delays because of Jay's consistent concerns, the two finally decide to bring Jungwon inside the daycare and give him their farewell hugs. In no time, the two are outside, and Jungwon is left inside the daycare like a new man. _Freedom!!!!_

-

Playtime at the daycare is always fun for Jungwon. He gets to do all kinds of cool stuff with the other kids, such as building big lego towers or playing superhero with them. It's also enjoyable for him whenever their babysitter would teach them about the different wonders of the world—the alphabet, the different colors of the rainbow, and so much more. Jungwon recently found out that a certain yellow fruit is called a mango, and now he's craving for one.

Despite these things, Jungwon couldn't help but also miss seeing his two brothers watching over him at the sidelines and smiling at him whenever he showed them something that was intriguing. Freedom definitely seemed appealing at first, but now Jungwon finds that it can't be enough when your favorite people aren't around.

"Jungwonie! Let's go play house!"

Jungwon is back to playtime mode when one of the older kids call him to the mini house at the corner. He runs towards them excitedly. All the toddlers are cramped up in the space, but once they see him, a crowd starts to form around him. 

"Jungwonie, can you be our baby?"

"No! Jungwon is going to be _our_ baby!"

"No! Wonie will be our pet! He's the cat!"

Simultaneously, Jungwon feels himself being pulled from different sides, with all of the kids shouting about whose baby he would be. He isn't the least bit surprised, but it still bruises his ego because _hello??_ Jungwon is five and he is fine with being the big brother for once!

Before Jungwon further reddens from the amount of hand grabbing, the babysitter suddenly claps her hands. "Everyone! We have a new visitor with us! Come here and say hi!" 

Jungwon takes the opportunity to escape the crowd and runs to the entrance of the room, where their babysitter is kneeling with a smaller figure beside her. Jungwon stops in his tracks and is wide-eyed upon seeing the little boy in front of him.

The kid looks significantly younger than Jungwon, with cute shiny eyes, red cheeks, and a look of uncertainty upon seeing the bigger boy. He was practically engulfed in his own hoodie, and the kid's bucket hat didn't help to make him look less smaller. Everything about him screamed tiny.

Jungwon thought he looked _adorable._ The first thing that registered in his mind was: a baby!!!!

"Now, why don't you go say hi?" The babysitter lightly pats the kid's shoulder, but immediately he crumples, hiding behind her with his face buried and tiny hands firmly gripping her shirt. Jungwon internally squeals at the sight, but apparently the other kids don't seem fazed at all. They're too busy screaming at each other.

"Jungwonie! Please be our baby! We have the fluffiest blanket here for you!"

"So what if you have a blanket? We have the prettiest eomma and handsome appa! Jungwon fits here the most!"

"On whose standards??"

Jungwon looks back to see the kids yet again quarreling over who could take care of the precious maknae. It's a normal sight, and he usually handles it by running to his brothers and asking for help; Heeseung tells him that he can choose where he feels most comfortable, while Jay surveys the kids and handpicks his playmates for him (Jay excuses that he can read people well, which Jungwon doesn't understand because people don't really have pages, do they?). 

In this situation though, Jungwon is not with his brothers, so his choice is solely dependent on him.

"Wow, so this is what it's like to make decisions." He mutters quietly. He's still absorbed with his options until he hears sniffling in front of him. 

_Oh right. The little baby._

"Aww, don't cry, don't cry! Your brother will be here a little soon, okay?" The babysitter encircles her arm around the boy, and that's when he goes into full sob mode. The boy's cries can be heard echoing the room, and all the kids stop their bickering to stare at the commotion. Jungwon glances at them, and is surprised by how they look so annoyed at the boy for crying. 

"He's so loud." An older boy whines.

Another agrees. "I don't want to play with that kid. It's no fun."

As Jungwon furrows his eyebrows at the negative reactions, something suddenly pops into his head. He purses his lips to keep himself from smiling and walks up to the crying baby, feeling everyone's eyes on him. Even the babysitter stops patting the boy to watch what Jungwon does.

Mirroring how his brothers used to treat him when he was sad, Jungwon leans down to pat the boy's head, smiling at him affectionately. The boy rubs his eyes and looks up at him with his cute shiny eyes, and Jungwon fights the urge to squish the boy's face. With his brother's same gentle tone, Jungwon tells the boy. "Hey, I'm Jungwon. Do you wanna play with me?"

Jungwon sees the shift in the boy's expression, who swallows back his cries and blinks curiously. He doesn't respond, but he looks at the babysitter, as if asking for permission.

"Oh, this boy is Jungwonie. Do you wanna go with him?" She asks. When he gives a light nod, she laughs and releases him from her hold. "Go on then, he'll be your hyung for today."

Suddenly everything feels like rainbows and unicorns. Jungwon feels like he's on Cloud Nine. The possibilities seem so endless and the world feels like a much better place now.

_Hyung._

_Hyung!_

_I'm a hyung!_

The kid waddles his way to Jungwon, and Jungwon offers him a hand. Seeing the kid clasp his tiny hand onto his pinky finger, something swells up inside his chest. _So this is what it feels like to be a big brother._

Jungwon smiles at him adoringly, and as they walk towards a pile of bean bags, books and toys, he hears the kids bickering again. Some of them call out to him.

"Ya, Jungwon-ah! I thought we were gonna play!"

"You have to be our baby! Who else will be?"

The boy smirks before glancing at them with the biggest grin. "Sorry, I'm a hyung now. You can find another baby."

-

Jungwon didn't think he'd like being a big brother so much, because his own hyungs seem to be drained right after they play with him. But with Jungwon watching the little boy silently stack up some colored blocks with the most serious face, he feels like he can do this all day.

"So cute." He giggles quietly. 

The boy hasn't said a word yet since Jungwon swept him away, but he didn't seem to be afraid of him either. Jungwon figures that the kid just really enjoys concentrating on what he's doing. However, there was something that Jungwon really wanted to know.

"What's your name?" He asks the kid with the same affectionate tone. The kid doesn't answer and continues piling up another block, which causes Jungwon to feel a little sad. He's just about to mope when he notices a bracelet on the boy's wrist. 

Jungwon carefully lifts up his hand to check the boy's bracelet, and he squints upon seeing some unfamiliar strokes on the beads. He tries to remember if he's seen it before, but nothing comes up in his mind. 

"How are you two doing?" Both of the boys look up to see the babysitter smiling at them. She kneels down and notices Jungwon's fingers tracing the outline of the beads.

Jungwon looks at her and then the beads, before saying. "This."

"Hmm?"

"This." He points at the bracelet. "What's this?"

"Oh?" The babysitter gives the beads a calculated look before her eyes light up in recognition. "Oh! Jungwon, this says Riki. It's in Japanese so you might not understand it, but this is your dongsaeng's name. Riki, hello!"

The boy, Riki, doesn't respond again, but Jungwon doesn't notice. He's too busy wrapping his mind around what the babysitter said. _Japanese?_ "Is he a Japan person?"

"Is he Japanese? Oh, yes." The babysitter responds. "You know Japan, right?"

"Sushi." Jungwon says plainly. "Japan sushi."

"Sushi?" Jungwon almost jumps in surprise when he sees the boy turn his head cutely at them. Nobody ever told Jungwon that being a hyung meant your heart could combust any minute at the cuteness of your dongsaeng.

"Do you like sushi, Riki?" The babysitter coos at him. "I think your brother put some in your lunchbox, but you can eat them later."

The boy just stares at them for awhile before going back to building the blocks again. 

Jungwon looks at him with more adoration. Wow, a little brother from a different place! Jungwon didn't think today would bring so many new adventures. He unconsciously pats the boy's head again. "Hello Niki."

"Jungwon-ah, it's Riki. Not Niki." The babysitter corrects.

"Niki, I'm Jungwonie hyung." Jungwon says while patting him, and when the boy responds to him with a toothy smile, Jungwon feels like he could faint.

Jungwon isn't even prepared when Niki tries out saying his name. "W-wonie hyung." 

At this point, Jungwon might just end up exploding into colorful confetti. 

-

Jungwon thinks that since he is now a hyung, he has to teach his little brother a few tricks. Luckily, he was the best in the field that his brothers were also good at.

_Dancing_. 

On the TV screen, a colorful video of _Baby Shark_ is playing, and along with the song, Jungwon is also dancing to it vigorously. Niki only watches him quietly as he demonstrates how the dance looks like.

"Come on, Niki! You have to dance with me too!" He jumps on his feet and pulls Niki up from the mat. To help guide his dongsaeng, Jungwon holds his tiny baby hands and starts moving them along to the beat.

"Baby shark do do do do do do~" He sings, growing happier and happier as Niki giggles while he teaches him. Not even a minute later, Niki escapes from Jungwon's hold and starts dancing by himself. Jungwon feels like a proud dad. "Go Niki!"

So there they are, just happily clapping and dancing to the song, and Jungwon actually feels like the moment could last forever. But then the moment stops when Niki is suddenly pushed to the ground and he cries out loudly. 

Jungwon hurriedly runs to his side, helping him up while at the same time looking up at who intentionally or unintentionally hurt his little brother. The moment his eyes focus, he sees one of the older kids who asked him to be their baby. 

"Ya, say sorry!" Jungwon says.

The kid scoffs. "Why would I? He took Jungwonie away from us!" 

Niki cries louder, and Jungwon's heart breaks for him. He wraps him in his arms and hugs him as tight as he can, giving the kid the most furious glare he could give. "He didn't take me away! I went with him because he's a better playmate than you!"

"What??"

"Yeah, you heard me." Jungwon huffs. "I would have let Niki play with you if you were nicer, but you're just being mean. So go away!"

The kid also ends up crying and leaves them alone, but Jungwon doesn't care. It's his responsibility to protect his little brother; no matter what happens, he'll do anything to keep him safe.

That brings Jungwon back to the time when he was playing with a toy egg and he accidentally hurt himself because of a sharp edge when he tried to open it. Heeseung ran so fast to get the medical kit while Jay kicked the egg away with so much force that it ended up on the other side of the room. When Jungwon tried to calm them down, Jay wasn't happy at all. "I was ready to break that egg if it hurt you even more."

_So this is what it feels like to care for someone younger than you._ The mixed emotions of anger and protectiveness are foreign to Jungwon, but he deals with it kindly by rubbing Niki's back and humming a lullaby. Niki is quiet now, so Jungwon isn't sure if he's okay or if something else was going on. "Niki? Are you okay?"

Niki snuggles up against him, whining a little. "Ouchie."

"Ouchie? Where?" Jungwon pulls away from their embrace and assesses him, checking to see if there were any bruises. He sighs in relief when he doesn't see any. "It's okay now. Hyung will take care of you, hmm?"

Niki just hums while looking down at his hands. Jungwon can tell his mood had soured, which made Jungwon feel more irritated at the kid who pushed him. 

As he thinks of something comforting to say, Jay's words come to mind: _Food is always the best answer._

"Niki! Do you want to eat?" Jungwon asks him, leaning down so they were eye to eye. "Let's go eat sushi!"

At the word sushi, Niki quickly looks up at him. "Sushi?" 

Jungwon laughs, satisfied that he could distract him. They stand up to get their lunch boxes and sit down on the floor again. Jungwon opens Niki's lunchbox, which happens to be homemade vegetable sushi rolls. Niki claps his hands together and leans forward to get one, but Jungwon stops him. "Wait, let's eat together."

Jungwon opens his own lunchbox and finds an array of food, including his favorite dumplings. He picks up his chopsticks and looks at Niki, who is eagerly waiting for him. When he nods, Niki claps his hands together again. "Itadakimasu."

Jungwon does his best to do the same thing (although the speed of the word really just makes him speak gibberish), and before they know it, they're quietly enjoying lunch together. Jungwon silently thanks Jay for packing all the food he likes, because now he can share it to Niki.

"Niki, do you know what this is?" Jungwon holds up a dumpling in front of him.

The boy just blinks blankly at him, chewing on his sushi with his mouth full.

Jungwon smiles. "This is mandu." 

"Mandu." Niki tries with difficulty, attempting to swallow his food so he could say it better.

"Yes, mandu." Jungwon says. "This is my favorite. And you're my favorite, so you can have this."

He reaches out to feed his little brother, but as he does so, he realizes something. "Oh? You look like mandu too!"

Niki doesn't seem to understand, because he immediately chomps down on the dumpling. Jungwon laughs and wipes off the excess on the side of his lips. _I love being a hyung._

After their lunch, Jungwon sits lethargically on the bean bag, tummy and heart full. Niki had immediately dragged their lunch boxes back to the shelves, so Jungwon eagerly waits for him.

In the process, Jungwon feels himself getting lulled to sleep. He tries to fight it, but his yawn further makes him drift into his dreams. 

When he opens his eyes again, he feels someone hugging him from behind. There's a soft snore behind his ear, and he realizes that it's Niki who somehow fell asleep while trying to cuddle him.

_He's the cutest._ Jungwon pokes the other's cheek, but Niki doesn't even budge because of how deep his sleep is. Jungwon settles into his position again and closes his eyes, content with finally being a hyung and having the most adorable dongsaeng.

-

"Jungwonie! We're here!" Jay frantically rushes inside the daycare center, with Heeseung in tow. He eyes the surroundings for their little brother, but is greeted by a tall back.

"Um, excuse me?" He asks the towering figure who was talking with the babysitter. They were blocking the view.

"Oh, Jay-ssi! Heeseung-ssi!" The babysitter bows and smiles at them. "Jungwon is—"

"Where is he?" Both of them ask.

"He's with my brother." Both Heeseung and Jay glance at the tall guy, who turned out to be one of the auditionees they saw awhile ago. Heeseung specifically recalls the guy being one of the crowd favorites who performed.

"Hey, you're those talented guys that performed at the audition, right?" The guy says. He offers a hand. "I'm K."

Heeseung and Jay take a moment to look at each other in silent agreement; this guy looked like he came straight out of a comic book or a web toon. He was _way_ too handsome for his own good. 

"I'm Heeseung."

"Jay."

They both shake his hands, and after a little chat, Heeseung remembers the point of why they were even talking. "You say our Jungwonie is with your brother?"

"Yeah." K chuckles. "It's actually really surprising, I thought my brother wouldn't be able to make any friends because he's too shy and it's his first time being in daycare, but he seems to be doing just fine."

K moves back for the two hyungs to see Jungwon lying on the beanbag with a smaller boy latched behind him. They were at the corner of the room, set apart from the other children who were busy playing house on the other side. 

Heeseung and Jay visibly coo at the sight.

As if sensing another presence, Jungwon wakes up and sees them, eyes lighting up in delight. He taps the little boy with him, who looks particularly grumpy from being woken up, but once he sees Jungwon, his grumpiness lessens significantly.

"Hyung! Hyung! I'm a hyung!" Jungwon excitedly says, pulling Niki with him as they run towards the elders. When they've gotten near enough, Niki hides behind Jungwon, peeking slightly at the side. 

"Wow, Jungwonie! You made a new friend?" Heeseung pats his head.

Jungwon pouts. "Not a friend! Niki is my dongsaeng! I'm his hyung!"

Both of his hyungs are bewildered by his statement. They never thought their own brother would claim himself as a hyung so passionately, much more towards a kid he only met for the first time.

"Riki!" K smiles upon seeing his little brother, who looks so comfortable with his new friend. When the boy notices him, he waddles his way into his arms, giving a tight hug. K quietly speaks to him, asking how he is.

Jungwon glances at them, feeling a pang of something he couldn't explain. It only felt like minutes ago when he first met Niki, and now they're about to part ways. Being a hyung to him felt too short. 

Jay sees how Jungwon's shoulders slacken and his face turns downcast. Although it surprises him how Jungwon seems so emotionally affected—usually he would be ready to leave after playing in the daycare—Jay can understand him. The boy must be Jungwon's first real friend.

"Hey, Jungwonie. Why don't you say goodbye to your friend?" He asks.

At the question, Jungwon looks even more defeated. Oops, that must've struck a nerve. _Wrong thing to ask, Jay!_

"W-wonie hyung!" The three of them spring up to see Niki waddling towards Jungwon. The boy in question looks confused, like he doesn't expect anything at all, which is why when Niki envelopes him in an embrace, Jungwon's eyes start to water.

"T-thank you." Niki says timidly. Jungwon knows it must be difficult to say what he wants to say in another language, but he's grateful that Niki takes the effort to show his appreciation. At the side, K smiles at them. His brother seems to be in good company.

"Niki, you have to come here again, okay? Hyung will miss you if you don't come." Jungwon says in between sniffles. Niki just pats his back repeatedly.

"I have a feeling we'll come here more often. After all, I know someone will take care of Riki for me." K tells Jungwon. He leans down, saying, "Thank you for being a good hyung."

"I think we'll _definitely_ leave them here more often, since we all passed the preliminary round." Heeseung states, smiling at them. "Nice meeting you all. See you around, K hyung!"

"See you guys around as well!"

Before they all leave, Jungwon gives Niki one last hug and promises to see him again the next day. Heeseung and Jay know that likely won't happen since the daycare closes every Sunday, but they'll probably come up with something anyway. They've got K's number. 

Back in the car, Jungwon tells Heeseung and Jay every detail of his day, from how the kids kept babying him, to how he stood up for Niki and even gave him his dumpling. He narrates this at least five times, but the two hyungs are happy to hear him enthusiastically say it at every repetition. Both Jay and Heeseung were worried at first, but really, their sweet little Jungwon had finally grown up without them noticing. 

"I'm a hyung like you guys now!" Jungwon says happily.

The two stare at him for awhile before smiling at each other.

_So this is what it feels like to watch your little brother grow._

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this lighthearted fic! Things have been so discouraging lately, especially in my country (There's been so much disasters, turmoil, and people dying 😭 Please keep the Philippines in your prayers and if you are willing to donate, our kababayans would appreciate it!). This fic is just to take a momentary break before going back to reality. 
> 
> In other news, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIM JAEYOON AKA ENHYPEN'S JAKE! I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR DAY AND KNOW THAT YOU DESERVE THE WORLD ❤
> 
> Stay safe everyone!


End file.
